Method and apparatus for collecting fines produced during the drying of charcoal briquettes

ABSTRACT

Method and apparatus for collecting fines produced during the drying of charcoal briquettes in a furnace. A conveyor having a run passing through the furnace for supporting the briquettes during the drying thereof is provided. The conveyor has openings therein through which fines produced during the drying process may fall. An endless power-driven belt having a run positioned under and generally coextensive with the briquette supporting run of the conveyor is provided to catch the falling fines and transport the fines to a depository which is spaced from the furnace.

United States Patent Mennen [45] Feb. 29, 1972 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COLLECTING FINES PRODUCED DURING THE DRYING OF CHARCOAL BRIQUETTES inventor: Frederick C. Mennen, Michigan City, lnd.

Assignee: United States Packaging Corporation, La

Porte, Ind.

Filed: Apr. 2, 1970 Appl. No.: 25,101

US. Cl ..263/5 Z, 34/236 Int. Cl ..F27b 9/14 Field of Search "263/6 R, 8 R, 52; 34/236 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,131,244 4/1964 Kuriyama et al ..263/8 X Primary Examiner-John J. Camby Att0mey-Oltsch & Knoblock [57] ABSTRACT Method and apparatus for collecting fines produced during the drying of charcoal briquettes in a furnace. A conveyor having a run passing through the furnace for supporting the briquettes during the drying thereof is provided. The conveyor has openings therein through which fines produced during the drying process may fall. An endless power-driven belt having a run positioned under and generally coextensive with the briquette supporting run of the conveyor is provided to catch the falling fines and transport the fines to a depository which is spaced from the furnace.

4 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COLLECTING FINES PRODUCED DURING THE DRYING OF CHARCOAL DRIQUETTES SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a method and apparatus for collecting fines which are produced during the drying process in the manufacture of charcoal briquettes.

Charcoal briquettes contain a high-moisture content after they are pressed or molded. This moisture content is reduced during the manufacturing process of the briquettes by drying the briquettes in a furnace at temperatures up to 500 F. During the drying process small particles, known as fines, become dislodged from the briquettes and collect around the furnace area. These fines accumulate and not only cause a blocking of the furnace area with a resulting loss of furnace efficiency, but their presence creates a serious fire hazard in that the fines absorb heat from the furnace and increase the temperature until they become extremely combustible. This fine-created fire hazard is even more acute in the manufacture of those briquettes which contain oxidizers to assist the user in igniting the briquettes.

This invention concerns the catching of the fines which are produced during the drying of the charcoal briquettes and their transportation to a depository which is removed from the furnace. The practice of this invention improves furnace efficiency and substantially eliminates the fire hazard created by the fines. A conveyor means is provided with a run passing preferably through the furnace. The briquettes are positioned upon the conveyor means run and carried through the furnace and dried. The conveyor means has a plurality of openings therein through which the fines may fall as they become dislodged from the briquettes during their pass through the furnace. A second conveyor means, such as an endless power driven belt, is positioned under the conveyor means and includes a run which is generally coextensive with the run of the conveyor means which supports the briquettes. The fines after falling through the briquette supporting conveyor means run are caught by the second conveyor means and transported in an expedient manner to a depository which is spaced from the furnace. Since I have found evidence that more fines are dislodged from a briquette during the first third of its pass through the furnace rather than the last two thirds of its pass through the furnace, it is preferable for the briquette supporting run of the first conveyor means and the fine catching run of the second conveyor means to travel in opposite directions so that the largest accumulation of fines upon the second conveyor means is removed quickly from the area of the furnace and not subjected to the heat therefrom any longer than is necessary.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a method and apparatus for catching fines produced during the drying process in the manufacture of charcoal briquettes and transporting the fines to a depository which is removed from the furnace area before the fines have reached a temperature which is sufficiently high enough to cause a fire hazard.

It is another object of this invention to provide an efficient and economical method and apparatus for collecting and desensitizing fines which are created during the drying process of charcoal briquettes.

Other objects of this invention will become apparent upon a reading of the invention s description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A preferred embodiment has been chosen for purposes of illustration and description wherein:

FIG 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus of this invention shown with portions thereof in sectional form.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 22 of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The preferred embodiment illustrated is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. It is chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its application and practical use to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention.

The apparatus of this invention includes a housing 110 having sidewalls 12 and end walls 14. journaled between sidewalls I2 and adjacent each end wall 14 is a roller 16. Trained about roller 16 is an endless belt 18. Belt 18 preferably has a plurality of closely spaced openings formed therein and may be of a mesh or chain-link type. A drive motor 20 is operatively connected by a chain and sprocket drive means 22 to one roller 16 so as to cause rotation of belt 18 in the direction indicated in FIG. 1.

Sidewalls 12 of housing 10 extend upwardly from roller 16 and are interconnected by a top wall 24 to form a hot air duct 26 of a furnace 25 which extends along in communication with an extensive portion of the upper run 28 of belt 18. A cool air return duct 30 interconnects the ends of the hot air duct 26. The burner 32 of furnace 25 is located in one end of duct 26. Furnace 25 includes a blower or fan 34 which serves to circulate the heated air around ducts 26 and 30 and over the upper run 28 of belt 18.

A roller 36 is journaled between side walls 112 of housing 10 and adjacent each end wall 14 thereof. Rollers 36 are positioned below rollers 16 and have an endless belt 38 trained thereover. The upper run 40 of belt 38 is positioned under and is generally coextensive with the upper run 28 of belt 18. A drive motor 42 is operatively connected to a roller 36 by a chain and sprocket drive 44 to cause rotation of belt 38 in the direction indicated by the arrows in FlG. ll. Belt 38, unlike belt 16, is of a solid construction and has no openings formed therein.

In operation, newly molded briquettes 46 pass downwardly through a chute or trought 48 and are deposited upon upper run 28 and at the forward end of belt 18, as shown in FIG. I. Belt 18 carries briquettes 46 into hot air duct 26 of furnace 25 where the air from the furnace causes a drying of the briquettes. The dried briquettes 46 pass out of duct 26 and are discharged from belt 18 into another trough or chute 50 where the briquettes proceed to a packaging or bagging station. The temperature of the forced air from furnace 25 and the speed of belt 18 are correlated so that briquettes 46 in passing through the furnace are brought up to a preferred drying temperature. Fines 50 become dislodged from the briquettes 46 as they pass through hot air duct 26. These fines pass through the openings in belt 18 and fall upon the upper run 40 of belt 38. The openings in belt 18 are preferably approximately threefourths of an inch in diameter so as to permit the fines and small chunks of broken briquettes to fall freely through the belt and yet are small enough so as to prevent a normal sized briquette from passing through the openings. Fines 50 are col lected upon upper run 40 of belt 38 which preferably has a direction of travel which is opposite to the direction of travel of the upper run 28 of belt 16. The fines are carried to and deposited in a collection bin 52 which is positioned at the discharge end of belt 38 and which is removed from the drying furnace area. The speed of belt 33 is generally appreciably greater than the speed of belt 18 and is preferably approximately feet per minute so that the fines 50 collected thereon are expeditiously deposited in collection bin 52 before they have had an opportunity to absorb an amount of heat from the furnace area sufficient to render them easily ignitable.

One modification contemplated within the scope of this invention is that fine carrying belt 38 could be made to travel in the same direction as the briquette carrying belt T8. In this modification, the speed of belt 38 would have to be substantially greater than the speed of belt 18 to prevent the fines collected thereon from becoming heated to the point of self-ignition as they are carried through the furnace. Thus the speed of belt 38 relative to belt l8 will depend upon the furnace temperature and the length of the pass of the belt through the furnace.

it is to be understood that this invention is not to be limited by the details herein given, but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. A method for collecting fines created during the drying of charcoal briquettes in a furnace comprising the steps:

a. exposing said briquettes to the heat of said furnace upon a first conveyor means having openings therein through which said fines fall,

b. positioning a second conveyor means under said first conveyor means to catch said falling fines, and

c. causing said second conveyor means to transport said fines in a direction away from the heat of said furnace at a speed preventing said fines from becoming ignited due to the heat of said furnace.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein step (c) includes causing said second conveyor means to travel in a direction opposite to the direction of travel of said first conveyor means.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein step (0) includes causing said second conveyor means to travel in the same direction of travel of said first conveyor means.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the speed of travel of said second conveyor means is at least feet per minute. 

2. The method of claim 1 wherein step (c) includes causing said second conveyor means to travel in a direction opposite to the direction of travel of said first conveyor means.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein step (c) includes causing said second conveyor means to travel in the same direction of travel of said first conveyor means.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the speed of travel of said second conveyor means is at least 100 feet per minute. 